Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009), known as the "King of Pop", was an American musician and one of the most commercially successful and influential entertainers of all time. His unique contributions to music and dance, along with a highly publicized personal life, made him a prominent figure in popular culture for over four decades.
Alongside his brothers, he made his debut in 1964 as lead singer and youngest member of The Jackson 5, and began a successful solo career in 1971. His 1982 album Thriller remains the best-selling album of all time, with Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995) among the best selling. He is widely credited with having transformed the music video from a promotional tool into an art form, with videos for his songs "Billie Jean", "Beat It" and "Thriller" making him the first African American artist to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound, vocal style and choreography inspired numerous pop, rock, R&B and hip hop artists, while also breaking down cultural, racial and generational barriers.
One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements feature multiple Guinness World Records—including the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time"—13 Grammy Awards, 22 American Music Awards (20 as a solo artist, including one for "Artist of the Century"), 17 number one singles (including the four as a member of the Jackson 5), and estimated sales between 350 million and 750 million records worldwide.[1] He was also a notable philanthropist and humanitarian who donated and raised millions of dollars through support of 39 charities and his own Heal the World Foundation.
Jackson's personal life generated controversy for years. His changing appearance was noticed from the late 1970s onwards, with changes to his nose and to the color of his skin drawing media publicity. He was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993 though no charges were brought, and in 2005 he was tried and acquitted of further allegations. He married twice, first in 1994 and again in 1996, and brought up three children, one born to a surrogate mother. While preparing for the This Is It concert tour in 2009, Jackson died at the age of 50 after suffering from cardiac arrest. He reportedly had been administered drugs such as propofol and lorazepam, and his death was ruled a homicide by the Los Angeles County coroner. His death triggered an outpouring of grief from around the world with his globally live broadcast memorial service attracting an audience of up to one billion people
迈克尔·约瑟夫·杰克逊(Michael Joseph Jackson,1958年8月29日-2009年6月25日),是世界流行文化象征性的人物,杰出的人道主义者,在全世界都拥有着极高的知名度与巨大的影响力,被誉为流行音乐之王(King of Pop)。
他是出色的音乐全才,在作词、作曲、场景制作、编曲、演唱、舞蹈、乐器演奏方面都有着卓越的成就。他与猫王、披头士并称流行乐史上最伟大的不朽象征,而其成就早已超越后两者。他个人长期保持多个国家和地区的唱片销量记录,曾多次受到世界多个国家政府首脑的高规格礼遇,其中包括美国里根、布什、克林顿连续三届总统邀其入白宫对其贡献予以嘉奖。他开创了现代MV。单曲《Thriller》的音乐录像带为全球第一支现代MV,被誉为史上“最伟大的音乐录像带”,空前提升了MTV在现代音乐工业的地位。他融合了黑人节奏蓝调与白人摇滚的独特的MJ乐风,时而高亢激愤、时而柔美灵动的声音,空前绝后的高水准音乐录影,规模宏大的演唱会无不在世界各地引起极大轰动。有权威机构评论过:“如果没有MJ,流行音乐的发展至少推迟20年,MV的出现至少推迟50年。”他拥有世界销量第一的专辑《Thriller》,销量已达1.11亿[4]张, 全球总唱片已超过7.94亿张(这7.94亿张总唱片中包括了MJ和jackson5乐队,合计3.5亿张专辑销量,1.6亿单曲销量,还有卡带、LP等等),被载入“吉尼斯世界记录大全”。他是音乐史上第一位在美国以外卖出上亿张唱片的艺术家。他独特的音乐、声音、唱腔和舞蹈,启发和激励了包括从流行风格、当代R&B、摇滚和嘻哈音乐的众多艺术家,同时也打破了文化、种族隔阂。2006年,吉尼斯世界纪录颁发了一个最新认证:世界历史上最成功的艺术家!他一个人支持了世界上39个慈善救助基金会,是全世界以个人名义捐助慈善事业最多的艺人。斯皮尔伯格赞赏迈克尔·杰克逊:“他是这个世界上最后一个按自己方式生活的天真无邪的人。”他的成就和影响力远超出了你的想象极限!
Michael Jackson于1992年成立了Heal the world(治愈世界)基金会。
该基金会与国家橄榄球联盟、Frito Lay、国际青年人基金会、希尔顿/BEST基金会合作,在27届“超级杯”(美国橄榄球联赛)上联合发起了“拯救洛城”运动,为7,000名孩子建立了3,000个指导顾问免疫站,并为超过72,000名青年提供了关于防止滥用药物/毒品的教育。
为20个国家的许多儿童提供了支持和援助。
与“美国爱心”(AmeriCares)基金会共同向饱经战火的萨拉热窝儿童运去了47吨的食品、衣物和药品;与美国“戈尔巴乔夫基金会”合作向乔治亚共和国运去了60,000剂疫苗;两次联合英国的“圣诞儿童计划”(Operation Christmas Child)组织把从英国募集的物品空运到了波斯尼亚共和国儿童的手中。
联同前总统吉米卡特、特纳广播网、罗纳德·麦克唐纳儿童慈善会、歌手Gladys Knight和乐队TLC一起行动,帮助“亚特兰大计划”在一星期内将当地的免疫人口从预计的6,000人增加到17,000人,并建立了一个家庭保健追踪系统。
与“洛杉矶联合学校社区”、加州大学、南加州私立大学、“学习之星”组织,及其它地方性非盈利组织共同开展了名为“校区联盟/安适港湾”的活动,为300多名学生提供了众多课后学习的机会。
迈克尔·杰克逊给予了这世界如此之多——魔幻而魅力四射的歌舞、博爱善良的救助、高尚的品格、永恒的纯真,而他却被世人长久地误解、陷害,只因嫉妒他的成就、只因根深蒂固的种族主义。也许只因为我们是人,仅此而已。
更多资料请参考
www.mjjcn.com